The Boston Celtics certainly have an uphill battle in front of them, but that often has been the case this postseason.

Without Kyrie Irving, Boston has dispatched the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA playoffs, and now it’s tasked with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The C’s have needed to get creative in order to piece together wins and continue advancing, but at no point have they played scared or acted like the underdog. Instead, they’ve just played like they have nothing to lose.

And for Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, that could prove to be the Celtics’ edge.

McCollum laid out a compelling case on why the Celtics won’t be scared to face King James and his squad during an appearance on FOX Sports 1’s “First Things First.” Take a listen:

https://twitter.com/FTFonFS1/status/994943575329853440First Things First @FTFonFS1 "It's tough to play against a team who has nothing to lose. The Boston Celtics have nothing to lose. They're not afraid of the Cavs." — @CJMcCollum 7:13 AM - May 11, 2018

Interesting logic.

The C’s certainly made the statement that they are for real and don’t plan on giving in during their tilt with the Sixers. And while their dominant, five-game series win was a bit surprising, it would be even more surprising if they find a way to get themselves to the NBA finals.

But then again, this Celtics team has been full of surprises.

bobMY NOTE: Without Kyrie, without the players we gave up to get Kyrie or traded away/let walk to be able to sign Gordon Hayward, and we're right back where we were last year. We're playing with house money now. It's all gravy from this point on. Pure gravy.